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Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Six Years Before the Mast

February 27 marked six years of this blog. It's a significant date. It's also the birthday of writers (in descending order below) Irwin Shaw (1913), James T. Farrell (1904), Peter De Vries (1910), John Steinbeck (1902) and Lawrence Durrell (1912).

More importantly, perhaps, it is also the anniversary of the day in 1812 when the poet George Byron addressed the Frame Breaking Act and spoke out in the House of Lords in defence of the violence of Luddites against industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire. Considering myself to be a modern-day upholder of the Luddite spirit, and having smashed in one or two frames (of computer printers), I like to think I've maintained the rage. Byron, of course, duly had a Nottingham-made typewriter named in his honour, and Richard Polt has one:

So I invited these six lovely young ladies to come around and help me celebrate the blog's six years, during which time it has accumulated 2.824 million page views to 2288 posts and 8676 comments.

Below, this young chap reenacted my own introduction to typewriters, in 1957.

The blog was launched soon after my appearance at the "I Am Typewriter (The Triumph of Continued Usefulness) Festival" in Melbourne and the publication of my first typewriter book, The Magnificent Five.

I was happy to see your post mentioning Luddites. I am beginning to think we are needed more than ever. But that comes from one who still prefers fountain pens and manual typewriters. And congrats also on the longevity of your fine blog.

Kia Ora!

Tapping gingerly. Sunday morning, coming down.
Might be my third or fourth attempt to establish a blog. Steeled to make it work this time. All about typewriters. Typewriters in Australia. Ergo, "oz.Typewriter", something a bit different. Please enjoy.